Herewith, TIME's unscientific survey of loud (and quiet) giants — it takes both kinds to make history. Read the related TIME cover story, "The Upside of Being an Introvert," available to subscribers here.

Winston Churchill, Politician

Churchill had a limitless supply of energy — and a limitless taste for drink. But he didn’t let that get in the way of his work, including writing — he won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his memoirs.